Nebraska law permits a defined second-adult adoption pathway

LB 70 permits a minor child with one legal parent to be adopted by a second adult when the statutory conditions are met, including sole-parent consent, an existing parent-child relationship, a biological relationship to the prospective adopter, no prior termination of that person’s parental rights to the child, and an applicable home study. It also addresses adult-child adoption, support and Parenting Act provisions. The statute does not establish a general pathway for every unrelated second adult. The statute also requires a married adopter’s spouse to join the petition and bars an adoption resulting in more than two legal parents.